Almost 77 percent of these students enrolled elected to return to onsite instruction
CHENEY – The school district has instituted a second phase of re-opening its facilities to students whose families are prepared to return to in-person instruction, bringing in first-grade students this week followed by second-grade students next week.
First-graders returned to in-person classes on Monday, Nov. 2, with half the students appearing that day and the other half on Tuesday, Nov. 3. All first-grade students were onsite beginning Wednesday, Nov. 4. An asynchronous learning day for students was held Oct. 30, along with a training/learning day for first-grade teachers.
Second-grade students will return under a similar schedule, taking part in an asynchronous learning day Friday, Nov. 6, followed by half returning to in-person learning on Nov. 9, the other half on Nov. 10 and all students onsite Nov. 12 — there is no school Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day. Second-grade teachers underwent a training/learning day Nov. 6.
Special programs and kindergarten students returned to onsite instruction earlier in October. According to district information, there are now 667 students attending school at district facilities — 14 percent of the overall student enrollment — with 280 kindergarten students onsite in 16 classrooms. Sixty-five kindergarten students remain in the distance learning model, taking part in three classrooms.
District officials expect 254 first-grade students to return to onsite learning in 14 classrooms, with 84 students continuing in distance learning in four classrooms. Next week, 277 second-grade students are expected back in 15 classrooms, with another 78 continuing distance learning in four classrooms.
Together, a total of 1,038 students will be back in 45 onsite classrooms by Nov. 12, with 227 continuing in distance learning in 11 classrooms.
The district is continuing to work towards additional in-person instruction for students in grades 6 –12, but at this point with the end of the first-quarter of instruction taking place Nov. 6, is gathering information via surveys of parents, students and staff on how the distance learning model is progressing and potential adjustments that could be made to improve it.
While everyone desires to return to in-person instruction for all students and opened schools, such measures are governed by other considerations, namely the county’s position in regards to reducing the spread of Covid-19. Superintendent Rob Roettger told the school board at their Oct. 28 meeting that the thinking on school reopening continues to evolve as things change almost daily, expressing a leeriness to put numbers and specific dates as targets.
“When we paint ourselves into a corner, that’s when I think we make mistakes because we say ‘well we said at this date this is the way it’s going to be, well things have changed and how has our thinking changed and how do we adjust to that,” Roettger said.
Roettger said testing is going to be a big part of this equation, noting he was award that rapid testing was not available at a couple medical facilities in Cheney.
Information on the Washington State Coronavirus Response website indicated Spokane County has a newly diagnosed Covid-19 case rate of 217.8 people per every 100,000 in population and a test positivity rate of 9.7 %, well above the 25 cases or less per 100,000 and less than 2 % positivity rate goals to allow for safe complete reopening. Washington’s overall ratings in these categories is 112.4/100,000 and 3.7 % positivity.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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